Polymer manhole base

ABSTRACT

A polymer manhole base comprising a base portion having an upper surface. An annular sidewall may extend upward from the base portion and may circumscribing the upper surface. The annular sidewall may have a diameter. A thickness of the annular sidewall may less than 1/12th of the diameter.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/844,487, filed Mar. 15, 2013, which is hereby incorporatedby reference herein in its entirety, including but not limited to thoseportions that specifically appear hereinafter, the incorporation byreference being made with the following exception: In the event that anyportion of the above-referenced application is inconsistent with thisapplication, this application supercedes the above-referencedapplication.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND

1. The Field of the Present Disclosure

The present disclosure relates generally to wastewater systems, and moreparticularly, but not necessarily entirely, to manhole base structures.

2. Description of Related Art

Components of wastewater systems may be formed from pre-cast concretestructures. For example, pre-cast concrete structures may includeconcrete pipes, box culverts, vaults, catch basins, and manholeassemblies. These pre-cast concrete structures may be formed off siteand transported to a work site as needed. At the work site, the pre-castconcrete structures may be installed into wastewater systems, includingsewage systems, as is known to one having ordinary skill in the art.Typically, the pre-cast concrete structures may be installedunderground.

The pre-cast concrete structures used in wastewater systems are highlysusceptible to microbial induced corrosion. Microbial induced corrosionis caused when hydrogen sulfide gas is released from wastewater. The gasis transformed into sulfuric acid by microbes present in the wastewatersystem. The sulfuric acid produced by the microbes may then quicklycorrode the concrete structures by dissolving the cement binder usedduring the casting process. The corrosion caused by sulfuric acid maylead to severe damage to the pre-cast concrete structures.

Some attempts have been made in the prior art to reduce the damagecaused by microbial induced corrosion. For example, one attempt atreducing microbial induced corrosion may include spraying a coating,such as an epoxy coating, on the pre-cast concrete structures.Disadvantageously, these coatings have been known to spall; therebycreating a pathway for the acid to eat away at the concrete. Otherattempts to reduce the damage caused by microbial induced corrosion haveincluded the use of plastic liners, which have also been demonstrated asnot being completely effective.

The prior art is thus characterized by several disadvantages that areaddressed by the present disclosure. The present disclosure minimizes,and in some aspects eliminates, the above-mentioned failures, and otherproblems, by utilizing the methods and structural features describedherein.

The features and advantages of the present disclosure will be set forthin the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by the practice of the present disclosurewithout undue experimentation. The features and advantages of thepresent disclosure may be realized and obtained by means of theinstruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent froma consideration of the subsequent detailed description presented inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a polymer manhole base according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the polymer manhole base shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the polymer manhole base shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a polymer manhole base according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a top view of a polymer manhole base according to anembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded, fragmentary view of a manhole assembly accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles inaccordance with the disclosure, reference will now be made to theembodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will beused to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that nolimitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Anyalterations and further modifications of the inventive featuresillustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles ofthe disclosure as illustrated herein, which would normally occur to oneskilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure,are to be considered within the scope of the disclosure claimed.

In describing and claiming the present disclosure, the followingterminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set outbelow. It must be noted that, as used in this specification and theappended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein,the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,”“having,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive oropen-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements ormethod steps.

Pursuant to an embodiment of the present disclosure, applicant hasdiscovered a polymer manhole base having a thin annular sidewall. In anembodiment, a thickness of the sidewall is defined by the differencebetween an outer diameter and an inner diameter of the sidewall. In anembodiment, the sidewall may have a thickness that is less than 1/12thof the inner diameter of the sidewall. Applicant's polymer manhole basemay be formed of an resin and aggregate mixture.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is depicted a polymer manhole base 100according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The manhole base100 may be adapted for use in a municipal wastewater system. In anembodiment, the base 100 may comprise a solid base portion 101. In anembodiment, the base 100 may comprise an optional extended solid baseportion 102 that provides additional stability and support to the base100. The extended base portion 102 may comprise a bottommost surface 104that may be adapted to rest on a bottom of an excavated hole.

Extending upwardly from the extended base portion 102 may be an annularsidewall 106 that terminates at an annular top surface 108. The annularsidewall wall 106 may comprise an outer surface 110 and an inner surface112. The inner surface 112 may define an annular passageway 114 in theinterior of the base 100. The passageway 114 may provide worker accessto the interior of the manhole base 100.

The polymer manhole base 100 may further comprise an inlet 116 and anoutlet 118 (outlet 118 is not explicitly visible in FIG. 1) forconnecting the base 100 to a municipal wastewater system as is known tothose having ordinary skill in the art.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is depicted a cross-section of the base100 along the Section A-A shown in FIG. 1 where like reference numeralsdepict like components. The base 100 may have a base height, H. In anembodiment, the annular wall may define an inner diameter, ID, and anouter diameter, OD, as shown in FIG. 2. In an embodiment, the baseheight, H, may be between two feet and six feet. In an embodiment, theinner diameter, ID, may be between about 48 inches and 60 inches. In anembodiment, the outer diameter, OD, may be between about 48 inches and64 inches.

A wall thickness, T, of the annular sidewall 106 may be defined by adifference between the outer diameter, OD, and the inner diameter, ID.In an embodiment, the wall thickness may be between one inch and threeinches, or about 2 inches, or one-half inch or greater. In anembodiment, the wall thickness, T, may be less than 1/12th of the innerdiameter, ID, of the annular sidewall 106.

Disposed at the bottom of the annular passageway 114 may be a surface120. In an embodiment, the surface 120 may define a trough 122 thatextends between the inlet 116 and a outlet 118. The trough 122 mayprovide a fluid pathway for wastewater between the inlet 116 and aoutlet 118. The surface 120 may define a bench portion 124 on eitherside of the trough 122. In an embodiment, the bench portion 124 may besloped at an angle, θ. In an embodiment, the angle θ may vary from 0°and 45°.

In an embodiment, the base 100 may be cast by a continuous castingmachine using polymer concrete. In an embodiment, the polymer concretemay comprise a polymer resin and aggregate mixture. In an embodiment,the aggregate may comprise a coarse aggregate and a fine aggregate. Inan embodiment, the entire base 100 may be poured in one casting as amonolithic structure. The base 100 may be cast with or without theextended base 102. As seen in FIG. 2, extending from the surface 120 maybe a plurality of anchors 126 that may be utilized to lift the base 100using a lift mechanism. In an embodiment, the anchors 126 may comprise ahook or an eyelet.

Referring now to FIG. 3, where like reference numerals depict likecomponents, in an embodiment the trough 122 may be substantially linearas it extends between the inlet 116 and the outlet 118. FIG. 4 depictsan embodiment of a base 100A with a trough 122A having a ninety-degreebend between an inlet 116A and an outlet 118A. FIG. 5 depicts anembodiment of a base 100B with a y-shaped trough 122B extending betweena pair of inlets 116A and an outlet 118A. The inlet 116 may be connectedto an upstream side of a municipal wastewater system and the outlet 118may be connected to a downstream side of the municipal wastewatersystem.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is depicted an exploded, fragmentary viewof a manhole assembly 200 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The manhole assembly may comprise the base 100. The base 100is adapted to be placed into an excavated hole. An inlet and an outletof the base 100 is connected to a municipal wastewater system as isknown to those having ordinary skill in the art.

Once the base 100 is placed into an excavated hole, one or more risers202 are positioned onto the base 202. Next, a cone 204 may be positionedonto the riser 202. Disposed on the cone 204 may be a grade ring 206. Anannular metal ring 208 and manhole cover 210 may be installed onto thegrade ring 206. The hole into which the manhole assembly 200 isinstalled may then be backfilled. In an embodiment, the base 100, riser202, cone 204, and grade ring 206 may be formed from a polymer resin andaggregate mixture.

Those having ordinary skill in the relevant art will appreciate theadvantages provide by the features of the present disclosure. Forexample, it is a feature of the present disclosure to provide a polymermanhole base. Another feature of the present disclosure to provide sucha base formed of polymer concrete.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features of the presentdisclosure are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purposeof streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to beinterpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosurerequires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than allfeatures of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the followingclaims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description of theDisclosure by this reference, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment of the present disclosure.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are onlyillustrative of the application of the principles of the presentdisclosure. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may bedevised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims are intendedto cover such modifications and arrangements. Thus, while the presentdisclosure has been shown in the drawings and described above withparticularity and detail, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to,variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner ofoperation, assembly and use may be made without departing from theprinciples and concepts set forth herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A manhole base comprising: a base portion havingan upper surface; an annular sidewall extending upward from the baseportion and circumscribing the upper surface; a wastewater inlet and awastewater outlet formed in the sidewall; and a wastewater trough formedin the upper surface, the wastewater trough extending between thewastewater inlet and the wastewater outlet; wherein the annular sidewallcomprises an inner diameter; wherein a thickness of the annular sidewallis less than 1/12th of the inner diameter.
 2. The manhole base of claim1, wherein the manhole base comprises a resin and an aggregate mixture.3. The manhole base of claim 2, wherein the thickness of the sidewall isbetween one and three inches.
 4. The manhole base of claim 2, whereinthe thickness of the sidewall is about two inches.
 5. The manhole baseof claim 2, wherein the wastewater trough comprises a ninety-degreebend.
 6. The manhole base of claim 2, wherein the upper surfacecomprises one or more anchors extending therefrom.
 7. The manhole baseof claim 2, wherein a height of the annular sidewall is between two feetand six feet.
 8. The manhole base of claim 2, wherein the inner diameterof the annular sidewall is between 48 inches and 60 inches.
 9. Themanhole base of claim 2, further comprising a bench formed on the uppersurface.
 10. The manhole base of claim 9, wherein the bench comprises aslope of between 1 degree and 45 degrees.
 11. A manhole systemcomprising: a manhole base comprising: a base portion having an uppersurface, an annular sidewall extending upward from the base portion andcircumscribing the upper surface, a wastewater inlet and a wastewateroutlet formed in the sidewall, and a wastewater trough formed in theupper surface, the wastewater trough extending between the wastewaterinlet and the wastewater outlet, wherein the annular sidewall comprisesan inner diameter, wherein a thickness of the annular sidewall is lessthan 1/12th of the inner diameter; a cone defining a worker accessopening; and a riser portion interposed between the manhole base and thetop portion.
 12. The manhole system of claim 11, wherein the manholebase comprises a resin and an aggregate mixture.
 13. The manhole systemof claim 12, wherein the thickness of the sidewall is between one andthree inches.
 14. The manhole system of claim 12, wherein the thicknessof the sidewall is about two inches.
 15. The manhole system of claim 12,wherein the wastewater trough comprises a ninety-degree bend.
 16. Themanhole system of claim 12, wherein the upper surface comprises one ormore anchors extending therefrom.
 17. The manhole system of claim 12,wherein a height of the annular sidewall is between two feet and sixfeet.
 18. The manhole system of claim 12, wherein the inner diameter ofthe annular sidewall is between 48 inches and 60 inches.
 19. The manholesystem of claim 12, further comprising a bench formed on the uppersurface.
 20. The manhole system of claim 12, wherein the bench comprisesa slope of between 1 degree and 45 degrees.
 21. A method of forming anaccess to a municipal wastewater system, said method comprising:excavating a hole; placing a manhole base at a bottom of the hole;placing one or more risers on top of the manhole base; placing a cone ontop of the one or more risers; and backfilling the hole; wherein themanhole base comprises: a base portion having an upper surface, anannular sidewall extending upward from the base portion andcircumscribing the upper surface, a wastewater inlet and a wastewateroutlet formed in the sidewall, and a wastewater trough formed in theupper surface, the wastewater trough extending between the wastewaterinlet and the wastewater outlet, wherein the annular sidewall comprisesan inner diameter, wherein a thickness of the annular sidewall is lessthan 1/12th of the inner diameter.
 22. The method of claim 21, whereinthe manhole base comprises a resin and an aggregate mixture.
 23. Themethod of claim 22, wherein the thickness of the sidewall is between oneand three inches.
 24. The method of claim 22, wherein the thickness ofthe sidewall is about two inches.
 25. The method of claim 22, whereinthe wastewater trough comprises a ninety-degree bend.
 26. The method ofclaim 22, wherein the upper surface comprises one or more anchorsextending therefrom.
 27. The method of claim 22, wherein a height of theannular sidewall is between two feet and six feet.
 28. The method ofclaim 22, wherein the inner diameter of the annular sidewall is between48 inches and 60 inches.
 29. The method of claim 22, further comprisinga bench formed on the upper surface.
 30. The method of claim 22, whereinthe bench comprises a slope of between 1 degree and 45 degrees.
 31. Amanhole base comprising: a base portion having an upper surface; anannular sidewall extending upward from the base portion andcircumscribing the upper surface; a wastewater inlet and a wastewateroutlet formed in the sidewall; a wastewater trough formed in the uppersurface, the wastewater trough extending between the wastewater inletand the wastewater outlet; and a bench formed on the upper surface;wherein the annular sidewall comprises an inner diameter; wherein athickness of the annular sidewall is less than 1/12th of the innerdiameter; wherein the manhole base comprises a resin and an aggregatemixture; wherein the thickness of the sidewall is between one and threeinches; wherein the upper surface comprises one or more anchorsextending therefrom; wherein a height of the annular sidewall is betweentwo feet and six feet; wherein the inner diameter of the annularsidewall is between 48 inches and 60 inches; wherein the bench comprisesa slope of between 1 degree and 45 degrees.